For the current construction of wooden picture frames, there are two devices available for attachment to the back of the frame and through which wire or cord is attached to permit the hanging of the frame. The hanging devices currently employed are the old-fashioned screw eyes and a modernistic device known as hanging plates (also known as "super steel plates").
The traditional screw eye is a circular device defining an "eye" with a threaded stem portion. The stem is screwed into the back of the wooden frame and wire or cord is attached through the "eye" to allow for hanging of the frame.
The screw eye is the most widely used hanging device. This device, however, particularly on frames having a narrow rear edge, or where the molding involves soft wood, has been found unsuitable for hanging medium and heavy weight picture frames. Under such circumstances, the screw eye is subject to splitting the frame where attached and pulling out from the frame under medium and heavy weight loads.
A hanging plate or shoulder hook is a flat piece of metal having a central portion with a hole therein. The central portion is bent from the plate. The plate is screwed into the back edge of the frame through screw holes provided in the plate, and wire or cord is attached through the central portion to allow for hanging of the picture frame.
The hanging plate device is most often used on narrow rear edge moldings. They, like screw eyes, have been found to be ineffective. There is difficulty in aligning the screw holes of the hanging plate within the center of the molding. Under stress from heavy loading, the rear edge of the frame is subject to splitting, thus weakening the security of the attached plate. The hanging plate device, particularly on narrow rear edge moldings, because of center alignment difficulty, will sometimes protrude beyond the visible outer edge of the frame. This protrusion is cosmetically undesirable.
The present invention has been developed to overcome the problems prevalent in currently used picture frame hanging devices.